President Donald Trump ordered on Friday the removal of the blue tent that has stood for decades as a peace vigil across from the White House in Lafayette Park.
Watch Trump’s remarks in the video player above.
“Take it down today, right now,” Trump said during a meeting in the Oval Office, adding that he had previously been unaware of the tent.
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Brian Glenn, a reporter with conservative outlet Real America’s Voice, had asked Trump about the blue tent and called it “an eyesore.”
Philipos Melaku-Bello comforts a woman as he sits on his regular spot at the 44-year-old White House Peace Vigil outside of the White House, after President Donald Trump ordered its removal, in Washington, D.C., Sept. 5, 2025. Photo by Leah Millis/Reuters
The structure has been in place since 1981, when activists first set it up as part of a continuous anti-nuclear and peace protest. It was widely regarded as the longest-running protest vigil in U.S. history.
Rio Phillips hugs vigil-keeper Philipos Melaku-Bello at the edge of Lafayette Square after protesters gathered when the park was cleared, afraid that the 44-year-old White House Peace Vigil would be torn down after President Donald Trump ordered its removal, in Washington, D.C., Sept. 5, 2025. Photo by Leah Millis/Reuters
